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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive win.